


Only For Tonight

by hypercipher



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: AU, Abigail Hobbs Lives, Alternate Universe, F/M, M/M, Mizumono, Post-Episode: s02e13 Mizumono, Will Graham Loves Hannibal Lecter, abigram - Freeform, hannibal lecter is dead, not rated for now, talk of hannigram
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-16
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-14 07:01:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28791384
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hypercipher/pseuds/hypercipher
Summary: In an AU where Jack managed to kill Hannibal in 2x13, Abigail moves in with Will and his dogs. Without Hannibal, both Will and Abigail feel lost, but the bond that flourishes between them seems to ground the two of them.
Relationships: Alana Bloom/Will Graham, Will Graham & Abigail Hobbs, Will Graham/Abigail Hobbs
Comments: 3
Kudos: 7





	Only For Tonight

"We're here." Alana's smooth voice flowed like velvet. Abigail hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath until Alana put the car in park. She sat there staring with wide eyes, her stomach doing summersaults. Alana watched her for a moment before suggesting. "Abigail, If you don't feel comfortable staying here, I can drive you back to the hospital at any time."

Abigail shook her head frantically at that, tearing her eyes away from the quiet farm house to meet Alana's calm eyes. Alana gave a kind smile and reached out to place a motherly hand on her shoulder. Abigail let her body relax, she imagined being held by Hannibal, inhaling the imaginary scent of his cologne. She hugged his pillow closer to her chest as her mind wandered. She wondered what Hannibal would tell her to calm her. Before she became too lost in thought, Abigail flinched back into reality when Alana stepped out of the car to greet Will. _Will..._

She hadn't felt this nervous to see him since that one rainy night. She spaced out again, body jolting when she heard a gentle tap on the passenger window. Abigail turned to see Will, who flashed what was supposed to be a confident smile, but Abigail could tell he was nervous too. That made her more anxious. She wished Hannibal were there to anchor the two of them. Before she thought too much more about it, Abigail opened the passenger door for Will. He appeared happy to see her, though he was hesitant in his movements and wouldn't quite look her in the eye.

"Hey, Abs." Will began, accidentally letting the nickname slip. It was what he always called her in his wandering thoughts. "I- I mean, Abigail."

It made Abigail smile slightly, though she still felt awkward. "You can call me that," She assured him, chuckling softly as she exited the car. "My mom used to call me Abbie a lot." She wasn't quite sure why she mentioned that.

"Would you like me to?" Will asked, rubbing the back of his neck. He felt relieved when Abigail smiled.

"Sure," Abigail answered, her stomach knotted when Will actually made eye contact. They both stared at each other briefly, until their thoughts were cut short by Alana slamming the trunk closed. Will looked up and noticed his coworker struggling to balance three duffle bags. 

"Oh- Alana, I'm sorry. Let me-" Abigail began.

"I've got it." Will interjected, squeezing past Abigail to remove two of the three bags from Alana's arms. She thanked him and they both smiled. Abigail took that moment to retrieve her purse that sat on the floor of the passenger seat. It was her old purse, the one she'd left behind before _dying_ , though she wasn't one to complain. She missed the purse Hannibal had gotten her. He truly spoiled Abigail, and she'd be lying if she said she couldn't stand it.

She followed Will and Alana up the front steps, though the moment Will opened the door eight dogs came flying out, headed straight for Abigail. Her eyes widened just before the blow of one of the bigger dogs jumping up on her, practically knocking Abigail over. She laughed as it licked her face, she could feel all the nervous energy dissolve from her body. A few of the smaller dogs stood on their hind legs, but they only managed to reach her hips. There were a few other dogs that stopped to sniff at her and figure out what all the commotion was about.

"Godric! Stella! Down!" Will shouted, clapping his hands at them. They seemed to listen almost instantly, except for one smaller dog who stayed circling her feet. "I'm sorry about them." He apologized to Abigail, shooing the rest of them away. "They're not really used to visitors."

"It's okay," Abigail began with a soft chuckle, observing how calm the dogs were around Alana. She wondered why. "I'm not very used to them either. I never had any pets growing up. Well, except maybe a goldfish, but I don't know if you'd count that." Abigail couldn't help herself from rambling. To occupy herself, she picked up the small dog that sat calmly at her feet. It was a cute dog, white with some tan spots.

"That's Buster." Will informs, scratching him behind the ear.

"He's cute. I like him."

"Good, I hope you like everyone." Will smiled. "And by the looks of it they already like you." Abigail smiled and they made their way up the front steps and inside.

* * *

She felt bad taking the only bedroom of the house, but Will assured her he's used the front room as his bedroom long before plans arose for Abigail to move in. But Will insisted, arguing in favor of more privacy for her as she'd have her own bathroom upstairs.

After an hour or so of unpacking and organizing, Abigail felt her stomach rumble. She padded downstairs and found Will at his desk, working on what appeared to be some sort of string with feathers on it. Will turned and smiled. "Hey you."

"Hi." Abigail returned the smile and approached him cautiously. "Do you have anything to eat?"

Will stood and began over to the kitchen, lightly brushing past the young woman. "I don't have much right now," He admitted, showing her a basically bare fridge. "I was hoping you could help me with a list for the store, you can get whatever you want." Will saw Abigail nod and he closed the fridge, rummaging through some drawers for a pen and paper. While Will rooted through things, Abigail took in her surroundings. She noted the piano beside the dog beds, Abigail wondered if Will played. She wandered over to it and pressed a couple keys, Will's head popped up to see what she was doing. "Do you play?" He asked, scribbling on paper to test for a pen that actually writes.

Abigail shook her head and opened her mouth to say 'No', but she cautiously remembered those nights spent beside the fire at the harpsicord. Hannibal would stand behind her, their arms interlaced as he taught the young woman a C chord. He'd let her digits dance atop his own slender fingers. _"Now you try,"_ He'd tell her, removing his hands from the keys. Abigail would go slow, trying to remember which letter belonged to what key before she pressed them. She started off correct, pressing down on C key with her thumb, and she was fairly confident she'd get the next key correct--an E. Keeping the keys held down, she struggled to remember the last note. She carefully moved her ring finger over to the G and held it down before hitting all the notes at the same time.

Will watched her curiously, her brow furrowed in concentration. "Well, you can play more than I can." He spoke, meaning for it to be a compliment. Abigail's eyes snapped back up to Will, looking dazed from her intimate daydream. She forced a smile at him and rose to wander back over to Will. "Did you take lessons?" He asked, starting to write down the basics--bread, eggs, milk, et cetera.

"I- Uh, well..." Abigail struggled to answer, opening and closing her mouth. She hadn't spoke to anyone about Hannibal since that horrible, rainy night. She wondered how Will would react if she told him, but when his icy eyes met hers, she couldn't help but fib. "Only when I was little. I didn't take them for long, I got bored." _Liar._

Will nodded, he could tell something was off, but he decided to drop it in favor of making a grocery list. "What's some stuff you might like to have around the house?" She hummed and thought for a moment before her eyes lit up.

"Chocolate ice cream, for sure." She chimes, a small smile curling up.

"Ice cream it is." He laughs, scribbling it down on the piece of paper. They go back and forth for a few minutes, brainstorming more grocery items. They finish soon, and Will asks, "Would you like to go to the store together?" He hopes she'll say yes. Ever since that rainy night, all he yearns for is quality time with the girl.

Abigail chews her lip. She wants to say no, to hide out in her new room. But as awkward as Will can be, she still enjoyed being by his side. She had waited for him for months, imagining how their reunion would go. It went nothing like she planned. Finally she nods and Will beams.

* * *

Abigail helps Will carry in groceries, this time the dogs don't practically maul her. Instead, they just followed and sniffed. Buster stayed close to Abigail. They put away groceries together, Will shows her where everything goes in the kitchen. They finish up and decide on spaghetti for dinner.

Will worries his lip between his teeth, uncertain whether to bring up his racing thoughts. He swallows and decides to risk it, since Abigail seemed to be in a good mood as she held Buster in her arms. He busies himself with boiling water before taking a deep breath. As he opens his mouth to speak, Abigail cuts him off.

"Can I help?" She asks. Will looks surprised, eyebrows raising slightly.

"Yeah, yeah, of course." Will stammers, flashing her a smile. She smiles back. "Only if you want to, that is."

Abigail nodded, silence fell between the two of them. After a few moments, she decides to shatter the silence. "Hannibal.." She began, gauging Will's reaction carefully before she continued, clearing her throat. "...He let me help him in the kitchen a lot." Will's gaze lowered to the floor briefly before looking back at the girl. "Sometimes I just watched, but he always gave me something to do when I wanted to."

Will hesitated, only nodding. "Well, I'm sure Hannibal's spaghetti wouldn't come from a can, so there's not as much to do." He explained with a soft chuckle, keeping his attention on Abigail's expression. "You can work on sauce if you'd like?"

Before she could answer, a sudden sizzling caught both of their attention. They looked to the stove and the water was boiling over. Will frantically took it off the burner and turned the nob so it wasn't as hot. He flushed as Abigail giggled.

"Maybe I should be on noodle duty." She teased.

Will chuckles, then gives a sigh. "I suppose so."

* * *

After dinner, they both tidy up. Will feeds some scraps to the dogs who slop it right up, and Abigail decides to take a shower and unpack some more. She puts some clothes into drawers and others in the closet. By the time Abigail is finished it's already dark out, so she decides to put on her pajamas--a loose fitting tee and some sweatpants. She really doesn't want to go to bed yet, deciding to go downstairs and visit with Will some more, despite how awkward he might be.

Will is quite literally surrounded by dogs, laying in bed with about three as he worked on his laptop, the rest of the pack strewn about the rest of the living room. Abigail steps barefoot into the hallway and towards the living room. Though she treaded lightly, Buster almost immediately picked up on her presence, jumping off of the bed to meet her. She grins and meet's Will's eyes, tired and dark behind his glasses. He smiles back at her, though he finds himself imagining Abigail in one of his t-shirts. He swallows.

"Whatcha doin'?" Abigail asks, scooping buster into her arms before approaching the bed.

"Just some grading," Will sits up a bit in bed and takes off his glasses, placing them on the keyboard. "Nothing exciting." Abigail nods and takes a seat on the edge of the bed, setting Buster on her lap and stroking him. Will can't help but break into a small smile.

"What?"

"He really seems to like you." Will shrugged a little.

"I really like him." Abigail smiles back at Will, ducking her head down to Buster when she feels their eyes lock for just a second longer than usual.

"Alana and I were talking," Will plays with his glasses before continuing. "She'd like to take you shopping tomorrow for a phone." He delights in the way Abigail's eyes light up.

"No way!" She gawks, beaming as she wiggles in place. For obvious reasons, Hannibal didn't allow her a phone. The only electronics Abigail was allowed was Hannibal's iPad, but she was supervised for the most part. "Can I get an iPhone?" She asks, knowing they can be more expensive.

"You can get whatever you want."

Abigail squeals and sets buster down so she can give Will a hug. His heart soars, he couldn't remember a time he felt this happy. They say their goodnights and Will watches her retreat with a fond smile.

* * *

Abigail woke up gasping for air, frantically looking around the unfamiliar room. Her chest heaved as she fumbled to turn on the lamp beside her new bed. She was hyperventilating, so Abigail took one final gasp and held it as she looked down at her trembling hands. There's no blood. Shaking, she began to whisper, "M-My name is Abigail Hobbs. I'm in Wolf Trap, Virginia..." She glanced to the clock next to the bedside lamp. "It's 3:28 AM."

The room was chillingly silent, her mind wandered. There were often times she wished her mind palace was as grand as Hannibal's. He tried to teach her to concentrate and create her mind palace, but she just couldn't seem to do it. What was she going to do without Hannibal to guide her? She has Will, but Hannibal knew some of her deepest secrets just as she knew his. He even knew...

Abigail hugged Hannibal's pillow closer to herself and buried her face in it, inhaling his scent. It was the first and only thing of Hannibal's that she took with her on that cold, rainy night. She couldn't hold it in anymore, Abigail began to sob uncontrollably into the pillow. Big, ugly tears stained the pillowcase as she tried her best to keep quiet. She didn't want to wake Will.

The dogs were the first to hear Abigail's muffled cries. Will was second, hearing only after the dogs began whining and licking at him. Concern consumed him, though fear also did. He'd never consoled her before, he wondered if he'd even be successful. She lived with Hannibal for months, for Christ's sake. Hannibal would obviously do a better job than Will ever could. With dogs trailing behind him, Will knocked gently on the door.

Abigail jolted upright at the noise, clamping a hand over her mouth to hide her sobs. Maybe if she pretended to be asleep, Will would just leave. She didn't want him seeing her like this, red-faced with snot running down her nose. He knocked again, a bit harder this time.

"Abigail?" He began. No answer. "Abbie, I know you were crying... Are you okay?" Silence. Will sighed and ran a hand down his rough jaw. This was going to be more difficult than he thought. He debated just opening the door, but he had no way of knowing if she was decent or not. The dogs whined and Buster began to scratch desperately at the door. Will heard a sniffle. "Can I at least let Buster in?" Will asked carefully, knowing that his dogs usually brought him comfort when he needed it.

Abigail contemplated whether it'd be a good idea to let them in. Will would surely see her face and want to know what's wrong. Ultimately, she gave in. (Mostly so she could see the dogs.) She wiped her nose on her sleeve and slipped out of bed to open the door, only a crack. Will could see her watery eyes and his heart sunk. It killed him to see her sad, to _feel_ it. "Abbie, what's wrong?" Will asked cautiously. Abigail only responded by opening the door further as she began to cry again. She couldn't keep it together, dammit. Abigail bowed her head and hugged herself, stood shaking in front Will.

"Oh, sweetheart..." He cooed, immediately stepping forwards and taking her into his arms. She reciprocated the hug immediately, gasping as she continued to cry. They stood there for a few minutes, Will just pet her hair and shushed her, rocking them side to side gently. He wasn't sure how long it had been, but Buster had waited long enough. He barked at her feet, startling Abigail only slightly. It was enough to make her smile, chuckling softly with a sniffle. "Buster-"

"He's okay." Abigail said meekly, glancing up at Will as she picked him up. Will gave her a small smile, it was cute that the two had already bonded in the short time Abigail's been there. He hoped he and Abigail would be able to do the same. "Can.. Can I have ice cream?" She spoke in almost a whisper, still sniffling. "Ice cream always makes me feel better."

"Of course," He said with a gentle smile and stepped out of the doorway before leading them to the kitchen. Abigail held Buster as Will scooped some ice cream into a bowl, only setting him down when Will handed her the bowl. She murmured a small thank you and smiled weakly. Will leaned back against the counter and observed her. Her cheeks were splashed with blotchy patches of red, her lips were darker too. She was rather... Beautiful.

Before Will could scold himself, Abigail spoke up. "I'm sorry if I woke you..." She spoke carefully, eyes focused on her ice cream. She felt embarrassed just knowing what she looked like, she didn't want to meet Will's gaze.

"You don't have any reason to apologize, Abbie. It's okay." Will hoped his words would give her comfort. It must've done something, because she finally looked up. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

"I..." She hesitated. "Can we sit down first?" Abigail asked quietly, biting her lip.

"Of course," He said as he approached her, placing a hand at the center of Abigail's back, leading her to his bed. Will sat down on the edge of the bed and patted the spot next to him. Abigail smiled a little and sat down, feeling a sharp tingling where Will's hand was previously placed. He waited for her to begin.

"I had a nightmare..." Abigail finally admitted, stirring her spoon around in the bowl.

"It's okay, Abs. I get those a lot too."

"Wait, really?" She looked up at Will who nodded.

"All the time, actually." Will nervously admitted with a breathless chuckle. Abigail visibly relaxes and returns to her ice cream. Will pauses before asking, "What was your nightmare about?"

"I-..." Abigail was felt reluctant to bring up the subject of her dreams. She felt the need to tip toe around it in front of Will, but her reoccurring dreams still have her trembling. With a careful sigh, Abigail set her bowl aside and began. "I dreamt of Hannibal..." Will inhaled heavily at his name, but placed a gentle hand on Abigail's shoulder. He waited for her to continue. "I was at his house, it was nighttime and I was in my room. I always wake up there in my dreams... I-I got up because I heard a crash, it came from downstairs. I went into the hallway, and no matter how long or fast I ran, the hallway went on forever. I heard voices, but I couldn't tell what they were saying until I made it to the stairs. It didn't look like his house anymore, everything was... Wrong."

Will just listened, rubbing mindless circles with his thumb as she continued. "The bookshelves in his office were as tall as trees, it looked like they went on forever. The dining room table was set, but it was much longer than it actually was. That's... That's when I heard it... The gunshot-" Abigail's voice wavered, tears threatening to spill down her cheeks. Will noticed and pulled her closer to his side. She leaned her head on his shoulder and clamped her eyes shut. "It's always too loud, not like the gun you use. It's more like a rifle. It shook the house, the dishes were breaking and books were falling. I tried to run, but my legs are too heavy. I fell, and- and-" She hiccupped and clamped a hand over her mouth as hot tears began to fall. "I always land by his body... He- He-"

Her body wracked, Will didn't hesitate to wrap both arms around her. "Shhh, it's okay, it's okay." It was hard for Will to hear that Abigail's dreams were as chaotic as his, knowing how awful nightmares can get. "You're safe, you don't have to talk about it anymore." Abigail felt relieved when Will said that, turning in his arms and wrapping hers around his neck as she cried into his shoulder. Will's heart beat faster, nuzzling into her hair as he continued to lull her. It took a few minutes for her to calm down again, though this time she didn't let go.

Finally, Abigail spoke up, if only in a whisper. "Can I sleep with you?" Will felt a blush creep up his neck at that, opening and closing his mouth as he struggled with a response.

"Abbie, I don't think that's very appropriate."

"Please, Will- I don't want to be alone." She practically begged, pulling back with tearful eyes.

Will hesitated. Seeing Abigail so broken tore his heart in half, he couldn't say no to her. With a sigh, he caved. "Okay, but only for tonight."

Abigail's body relaxed and she hugged Will tighter. "Thank you," She spoke breathlessly, sniffling softly. Will kissed her on the top of her head and pulled back, she seemed to chase his warmth. He picked up Abigail's empty bowl and brought it to the kitchen. While he was away, Abigail pulled back his blankets and pulled them tight beneath her chin. She hoped she wouldn't have anymore nightmares.

Will joined her shortly after, though he felt a bit awkward. His stomach knotted when she seemed to glue herself to his side, resting her head on his shoulder as a pillow. They laid there quietly for a few minutes before Abigail spoke up again. "What are your nightmares about, Will?"

He glanced at her, she was looking at him expectantly. Will sighed and began to run his fingers through her hair, brushing against where her ear should be. "How about we talk about that another time, hm?" Abigail nodded before her eyes fluttered shut. Will had a funny feeling he wouldn't be able to sleep that night.

* * *

Song: Casual Affair by Panic! At The Disco

* * *


End file.
